


we can't edit the history books

by sagelights



Category: Bridgerton (TV)
Genre: F/M, bestie eloise is lookin' out for them, but who's she kidding she's still a sucker for colin, colin's gotta slowly prove himself, modern day AU, past relationship, pen's not gonna make it easy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29966574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagelights/pseuds/sagelights
Summary: it's been a year since colin and penelope have broken up. colin wants a second chance. pen wants to keep it all in the past.
Relationships: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington
Comments: 37
Kudos: 139





	1. opening night

Penelope wasn’t excited to show up at the grand opening of her ex-boyfriend’s new bakery. Well, it’s not like she was forced to go. She got the final say at the end of the day, but it’s a completely different story when your ex-boyfriend is the brother of your best friend. Bonus points if his entire family has basically been a surrogate one to you since childhood. Though Eloise wasn’t overtly pushing Penelope to attend—El was fully aware of the pain her best mate’s history with her brother brought, Pen knew El would be disappointed nonetheless if she didn’t at least stop by the bakery to say a quick “hello.” Every Bridgerton would be there to support him, she knew for sure. So theoretically, she could hide amongst them to avoid confronting her ex one on one. It was what she tended to do nowadays, since their split a year ago, because it’s impossible to dodge him completely when their lives have been so divinely intertwined.

Honestly, you must admit, opening a bakery seemed fairly apt for someone who was as big of a foodie as he was. Regardless, it is still a surprise that he’s committing to something that would tether him to a single country, let alone a single city. Penelope thinks that’s partially why the Bridgertons are excited about tonight, not that they weren’t already a supportive bunch, but they knew that opening a bakery meant that he would be close to the rest of the family for longer than a week at a time. The roguishly handsome third Bridgerton was notoriously known for only returning home from his travels during the Christmas season, and his attendance at birthdays other than his mama’s was always a 50/50 chance. It meant that he was dearly missed for most of the year, especially by the youngest two who patiently awaited for gifts and stories from their older brother’s adventures abroad. For a while, Penelope dearly missed him too.

He was the first boy who ever caught her eye, that made her anxious to be around. His green eyes grew deeper and more enchanting every time she gazed into them, and the song of his laughter warmed her soul—it was a stark contrast to the coldness felt at the Featherington house. He smelled of vanilla and lavender, which faintly stuck to her clothing after spending enough time with him. Clinging to the feeling of his hand brushing against her skin, she fantasied what it would be like to run into his arms and away from a family that felt so indifferent about her. Eloise, her childhood best friend, was a Bridgerton, a perfect and beloved Bridgerton, and Pen foolishly thought that with him, she could be one too, just as perfect and beloved because her Mama had convinced Penelope she was anything but that. But she was stuck a Featherington, “tasteless and tactless.”

He gifted her a journal for her sixteenth birthday. When she first unwrapped it, Penelope frowned at its honey yellow color. _Great, more yellow, Mama would be so excited. Does he know it’s not actually my favorite color?_ However, he explained sweetly that he _did_ indeed know yellow was not her favorite color. Despite that, he couldn’t help but think of sunflowers when he saw this particular shade. Sunflowers are known to be able to absorb toxins in the ground that would normally kill other plants, which allows them to purify the soil. It reminded him of Pen, a testament to her resilience and the sunshine she breathed to the Bridgerton’s lives. That’s when she knew there was no turning back. She had fallen hopelessly in love with him.

After years and years of pining for a seemingly unrequited love, twenty-five year old Penelope’s wish was finally granted: he had asked her out. She was skeptical at first, and rightfully so, until he confessed he’d been infatuated with her for years. In hindsight, he was an idiot for not taking Penelope out on a date sooner. For not doing everything in his power to remind her of her beauty and grace. Of her wit and charm. Of the mesmerizing light she emitted every time she entered a room. So, Penelope let him whisk her away into the perfect fairytale, it was everything she daydreamed about and more. He, no doubt, was the perfect gentleman.

However, when their relationship hit the one-year mark, fears started to creep into her mind after the constant hammering of snide comments from strangers and acquaintances alike. As members of some of London’s most famous upper-class families, they regularly attended public events together, such as galas and charities, and with the rest of their families. To everyone else, it was interpreted as an open invitation for unwanted critiques of Penelope’s relationship with her boyfriend. Eloise told her not to fret, she knew only Penelope was privy to her brother’s love. Penelope knew it too and pushed past any preoccupations she had about not deserving him so that she could relish in what was hers.

Then, two years into their relationship, an article came out about them. It’s a strange position to be in, as a journalist herself. Her private life was now the biggest story in the gossip world, and she couldn’t cover it without oozing bias. Penelope was no stranger to learning the secrets of others but was completely stunned now that she was on the other side. She feared it would discredit the serious stories her company covered as well—they weren’t solely scandal reporters after all. Front page of every major media outlet was a picture of him kissing another woman during his most recent trip to Spain.

Their relationship didn’t survive much longer after that. Penelope was grateful that the Bridgertons didn’t pick sides and didn’t question them when she insisted the break-up was mutual. But that doesn’t mean she was oblivious to the worried looks Violet Bridgerton cast her way, or the way Eloise tried to omit his name from their conversations from then on out.

* * *

At the opening, Penelope stuck close to the sidelines, hoping to go unnoticed. To her dismay, he spotted her in the crowd—he always did—and flashed her a smile from the stage as he gave his speech. Penelope couldn’t help but grin when he revealed the name of his bakery: _Sunflour_. The bright yellow and floral decorations made more sense now and Penelope felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. Afterwards, she watched him sneak away from the crowds and towards the back of the bakery. Despite herself, she followed after him and found him leaning against a table in the center of the kitchen, lost in a reverie.

“Huh, the sunflowers seem oddly familiar,” he turned to look at Penelope as she handed him a shot and a chaser, “To your new life.”

With a sad smile, he accepts it, and they raise their shots to each other before downing them and biting into the lemon slices. He took the glass from Penelope’s hands and turns around, placing them on the table behind him. While he’s still not facing her, he asks, “What are you doing here, Pen?”

Penelope’s shoulders drop and her head tilts slightly. She doesn’t answer, so he turns back around and continues, “I’m glad you came.”

“Colin-,” she breaths out in defeat, but she’s caught off guard by his chuckle.

"Aren’t you a little mad that you aren’t just meeting me now, for the first time, as a charming owner of this little bakery?” Colin teases.

Penelope rolls her eyes and shakes her head in disbelief, “It certainly is more attractive than the title of an early twenties nomad.”

Colin places his right hand over his heart, feigning shock, “Ouch, Pen, you wound me. I thought you were a sucker for a well-traveled man.”

“Maybe I still am. Too bad you’re staying in London now,” she added with a raised eyebrow.

There’s a moment of silence as they both recognize the dangerous territory they are entering. Colin gazes around their surroundings, as if to make sure they were alone, and Penelope starts to fidget with the rings on her fingers.

“What would it be like?”

She’s lost and counters with, “What would what be like?”

“Well,” Colin stands up a little straighter and clears his throat, “Hi, I’m…I’m Connor, the owner of _Sunflour_. Have we met before?”

Penelope crinkles her nose, suspicious of his intentions, but humors him, “No, I don’t think so. I’m Piper, journalist and founder of the Whistledown,” she extends her hand, and he shakes it.

His face cracks a wider smile, “Oh wow, my first critic! Tell me, what do you think of the place?”

“It’s intriguing for sure, I’ll have to come back for a proper review,” Penelope says with a laugh.

“Of course, I’ll make sure to save you a table,” Colin winks, and for a moment, Penelope is taken back to reality, but she shakes it off. She’ll try to let herself enjoy this.

“Can I get you another shot of tequila, Piper?”

“Sorry, no, I…I don’t accept drinks from people I’m supposed to write a review about. Makes it hard to be objective.”

“Ah, makes sense,” Colin takes a step closer, his breath tickling her skin. A sadness fills Penelope’s bright blue eyes as she looks into his swirling green ones, registering their closeness. He takes another step and leaned down to close the gap between them. They kiss, like they are still a couple, like nothing had ever changed between them, and it’s euphoric for a split second before Penelope realizes what they’re doing. She has let Colin go too far. Suddenly, she pulls away, turning her face away from him.

Penelope knits her eyebrows, and the corners of her eyes start to prickle with tears, “Look, I wish we were Connor and Piper, maybe in another world we are. But we have too much history between us. I can’t do it.”

Colin grabs her hands, hoping to stop her from leaving, “Forget the past. Please, and we can try again.”

“How can I forget? How could you expect me to forget?” Colin exhales, letting his shoulders fall, but doesn’t respond, “You lied to me.”

“No, I didn’t.”

Penelope scoffs, “A lie by omission is still a lie,” she pulls her hands out of his grasp and turns to walk away. She takes a few steps before turning back to face him—she isn’t done, “I would have forgiven it, you know. A kiss is a kiss, and I can believe that it didn’t mean anything. That you were traveling, got too buzzed, and kissed someone. That you regretted it, that you still loved me. But to not tell me? To let me find out from media outlets? We aren’t exactly normal people in case you forgot. You’re a Bridgerton and I’m a Feathingerton. Regardless of our professions, the public will always want to know about our lives. It’s just the world we’ve been born into,” she glances up at the ceiling for a moment and sighs, “I thought you better than that. You lost my trust.”

Colin’s head hangs low, and he lets her walk away, “I hope your new life goes well for you, Connor.”

Once away from the kitchen, she b-lines straight for Eloise. She rejoins the Bridgerton’s table, but they all immediately sense her discomfort. Eloise makes up a lie to excuse them and no one bats an eye. Neither one of them uttered a word during the commute home. El, however, doesn’t let go of Pen’s hand, a silent symbol of her sympathy and that she’s ready to listen to her friend whenever she’s comfortable enough to talk. When they reach their flat, the girls change into their pajamas and plop onto their living room couch with a couple of beers. Again, Eloise doesn’t make any comments on her friend’s mood and instead, she pulls up a sit-com called _Derry Girls_ on Netflix. It’s not until a couple of episodes later that Penelope finally tells Eloise what happened.

“Colin kissed me,” Penelope doesn’t take her eyes off the TV, but she can feel El’s eyes on her.

“Did you like it?”

Penelope chews her bottom lip, “Yeah.”

“Would you ever give him another chance?” Eloise already knows the answer by the way Pen sighs. _One day_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is HEAVILY based off a rom-com show called "little coincidences" on amazon prime because i just couldn't get the idea of having a polin au out of my head!  
> -  
> what can i say, i'm an absolute sucker for ships with bittersweet endings :')  
> kudos and comments would mean the world <3


	2. morning after

The next morning, Penelope woke up to the quite ring of their flat's doorbell immediately followed by Eloise shouting loudly, "I'll get it!" Penelope grumbled a bit to herself and trudged into the living room to investigate. However, she found Eloise sat on a bar stool in the kitchen instead. The _it_ turned out to be a wicker basket woven with blue ribbon and covered with a beige and white gingham piece of fabric. Penelope leaned against the kitchen island with her elbows propped up.

"It's from Colin. He texted the whole family that he was 'delivering breakfast'," Eloise uncovered the gingham fabric with a flourish to reveal strawberry scones and a small folded piece of paper nestled on top with Penelope's name written in his handwriting, which her friend handed to Penelope with a defeated smile.

"Are you leaving for work soon, El?" Penelope didn't look up from the letter in her hands, but she couldn't bring herself to open it with an audience present.

"Yeah, I'm heading out now. Don't eat it all, Pen, or else I'm gonna make you go and buy more!" 

Once the front door shut, she delicately ran her fingers over her printed name and unfurled it.

 _I want to apologize for what happened last night. I overstepped the boundaries and though I know the scones won't fix everything, hopefully they will make up for a little bit. I promise, it'll never happen again._ _Cheers, Colin._

Penelope pulled the letter closer to her chest with a sigh. After a year of mulling over their relationship, it hurt a little less every time she thought of their time together. But it still hurt, in part because of the rose colored glasses she tended to have. She picked up one of the scones and took a bite, closing her eyes to savor the flavor. And suddenly, like a flashback sequence out of a movie, everything came flooding back to her.

After a moment, Penelope opened her eyes and took a deep breath. In and out. She didn't want to remember any long their fight, if you can even call it one. There was no yelling, only Colin silently taking each blow, itching to hold Penelope in his arms while she tried her best to explain how she felt while holding back the tears. She wasn't infuriated with the act itself. It was _how_ her partner chose to respond, the loss of honesty, that broke her heart. Swiftly clearing her mind of those bitter thoughts, she brewed herself some tea to top off her breakfast and got changed for work.

* * *

Alright, fine, she'll admit it. Penelope is nosy—it comes in handy for her job anyways. Her curiosity got the best of her and she ended up taking a different route home just to pass by Colin's bakery to see how it was faring on its first day. However, by the time she got there, she saw Colin closing up shop. _Crap_ , he would spot her. And sure enough, he did, waving at her to come in.

He ran out from behind the cashier, "Hi Pen, didn't expect to see you here. I'm about to close up, but if you want anything, I can grab it for you real quick. It'd be on the house."

Penelope shook her head, "No, I'm good. I just wanted to pass by on the way home to see how your bakery was doing."

His face fell for a moment, but Penelope still saw, "Okay, be safe."

She bade him goodbye and started to walk back to her flat. The sunset had begun, swirling the sky with broad brushstrokes of red, orange, and yellow with flecks of pink thrown into the mix. It felt like Penelope was walking through a Van Gogh painting. She snapped out of it when she heard footsteps growing louder behind her. _Oh my god_ , Penelope didn't want to turn around to see who was trailing her, but she didn't feel safe anymore. Looking both ways, Penelope crossed in the middle of the street and so did the person behind her. On instinct, her breath started to quicken as fast as her pace, and she pulled out her phone and sent Eloise her live location. The person behind her was now asking her for directions for the nearest pub, which quickly morphed into asking Penelope to go with him so that he could buy her a drink. Penelope continued home, gripping her house keys, and just ignored him, hoping he'd tire soon and leave her alone.

Someone with a different voice shouted, "Darling!" and in Penelope's shock, she turned around. Running past the man bothering Penelope, who had also stopped dead in his tracks, was Colin. When he got close enough, her ex-boyfriend wrapped his arms around her protectively and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Get lost, mate. Stop bothering my girlfriend," Colin approached the man with his fist clenched, trying to intimidate him. And it worked, the stranger left the two of them alone.

Colin's shoulder dropped, his right hand now rubbing his neck, "Sorry, I know I crossed the line again. I panicked and didn't know what to do and…and I didn't want to yell out your name either just in case, so sorry for calling you 'darling' since-,"

"Colin, don't worry. It's fine, you did the right thing. Thank you," she smiled reassuringly.

"I can walk you home if you want, it's getting quite late."

"Are you sure? You should be getting yourself home, too," though in reality, Penelope knew she could use a buddy to walk home with. For safety.

Colin flashed her a smile, full of his natural charm, "Yeah, it's really no problem. Plus, El has requested more pastries," he held up the box tied with blue ribbon in his hand.

Penelope pointed to the ribbon, the same shade of blue as one on the basket from that morning, "You guys should trademark that color. Bridgerton Blue, it's basically the only shade you family uses."

"The name's got a nice ring to it, but I'm pretty sure we didn't come up with the hue though," Colin teased.

"Thank you, again," she tilted her head as a sign to continue walking, "and for the scones this morning, they are wonderful, Colin. You should should consider opening a bakery," Penelope added cheekily.

"I consider that high praise," he said with a chuckle to play along with her, "but as for the bakery, hm, I'll think about. Seems like a lot of work though."

"So, how was your first day?" she asked once their laughter died down. Again, Penelope was reminded of how little effort it took with him, and that scared her a bit.

"There were enough people for it to look promising, but not enough for it to be sustainable," Colin admitted.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Though, give it time. And utilize social media, old man, it can super helpful."

Colin nudged her with his shoulder, "I'm not that old, alright, I have an Instagram."

"Yeah, and the last time you posted was like a year ago. Not a great tactic for businesses, if you ask me," Penelope nudged him back, but it was significantly harder due to her short stature.

"Fine, I will take your advice, thanks."

When they reached the front door of Penelope's flat, Colin's face turned serious, "Can I ask you something, Pen?"

"Yeah," she looked up from doorknob where she had already inserted her key.

"What are we?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're exes, I know that. But talking to you, no…nothing is awkward like I feel like it should be."

Penelope was caught off guard, her brain scrambling to think of something, "That's because we're friends, Colin. It's kind of impossible for us not to be."

Colin nodded in affirmation, and Penelope turned her attention back to opening the door. Internally, she curse herself. Instead of redrawing the faded line between them, it feels like she only muddied it. She knew in her brain that Colin should be off limits, but her heart. Goodness, her heart. It kept drawing her back to him. She's got to learn to be more rational.

Penelope cracked open the door and immediately clocked Eloise's skeptical expression from the couch. Based on how her best friend's friend changed to an excited smile, she assumed that behind her, Colin held up the box of baked goods.

"Oh yay, you brought more!" Eloise practically leaped out of her seat and bounced over to the doorway to snatch the box from her brother's hand. Penelope set her things down onto the kitchen island and took at seat at the bar stools to watch her mate open up the box.

Colin took a seat next to her, "Am I your favorite brother yet?"

"Nope, it's still Benny," Eloise retorted, sticking her tongue out.

"Wrong answer, Ellie. I think I'm gonna have to start charging you for my food now."

Penelope giggled because people rarely ever called her friend Ellie and though Eloise herself wasn't a fan of the nickname, everyone close to her though it was hilarious and adorable.

"You wouldn't dare, Charlotte Bridgerton," Eloise warned and Penelope erupted into laughter. She knew that Violet and Edmund had wanted to keep their children's sexes a secret until they were born and they had guessed every Bridgerton's sex right, except Colin, whom they planned to name Charlotte.

"Oh, low blow," Colin stuck out his hand, "truce?" And Eloise shook it. Once Eloise finished inspecting the pastries, Colin got up and excused himself with a goodnight to both the girls. Penelope turned to Eloise nervously because by the look on her friend's face, she had some questions for Penelope.

"Okay, spill. You send me you location and then show up with my brother. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, he drove away a dude who was following me and walked me home," Eloise raised her eyebrow, expecting more, "That's it, I swear, El."

Eloise reached out over the counter and held Penelope's hand, "Be careful, alright? He's my brother, but you still have to watch out. Playing with hearts is worse than playing with fire and I don't think I could hold back from punching him if he hurt you again."

"I'll be careful, I promise," she gave Eloise's hand a light squeeze, "You know I love you, right?"

"I love you too, Pen," Eloise beamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this might not have been the groveling!colin kind of chapter y'all wanted but i wrote this instead. hope y'all still enjoyed it <3  
> -  
> fyi, feel like i should mention that the rest of this fic is deviating from "little coincidences" since i only pulled ideas from it for the first chapter!


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